This invention relates generally to keyboards and more specifically to separate ergonomic keypads that are designed for respective right hand and left hand use. The separate keypads may be positioned by the user in a way that affords maximum ergonomic comfortability and versatility.
Most prior art keyboards, such as those commonly employed in the computer industry as input devices, for example, are one-piece slab keyboards that have a plurality of horizontally positioned rows of keys arranged in groups. These groups typically include a number of alphabetic, numeric, and control keys arranged much as they would be on a conventional QWERTY typewriter. In addition, other groups may include function or soft keys, cursor control keys, editing keys, and numeric entry keys, the latter group being arranged as they would be on an adding machine. Users of these types of slab keyboards are at risk of becoming afflicted with a serious tendon disease known as carpal tunnel syndrome. This disease is the long term result of irritation and inflammation of the median nerve that is caused by maintaining the fingers, hands, wrists, and arms in the unnatural positions required to operate these prior art slab keyboards. There have been attempts in the prior art to redesign these slab keyboards to allow users to assume more natural wrist and hand positions during operation. One such keyboard is hinged in the form of an inverted V. Another has keys positioned at a fixed angle. Another has attempted to provide keys that can be actuated by the thumbs of the user. However, no known keyboard provides for autonomous positioning and for complete variable adjustment in all planes or for optimum ergonomic key arrangement. Neither do any of the prior art keyboards provide for ergonomic application in the armrests of a chair.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a pair of ergonomic keypads that may be individually positioned on a desktop or the armrests of a chair so as to permit the user to operate the keypads while assuming more comfortable and natural hand and wrist positions than is possible when using keyboards constructed in accordance with the prior art. A further object of the present invention is to provide a pair of ergonomic keypads that allow full adjustability in both the horizontal and vertical planes to permit a selection by the user of the most comfortable hand and wrist positions. A further object of the present invention is to provide a pair of ergonomic keypads that permit full use of the user's thumbs and optimum access to all keys from an ergonomically focused home position for each hand. A further object of the present invention is to provide a pair of ergonomic keypads that may be joined to form a compact, diamond-shaped keyboard unit for improved portability. A further object of the present invention is to provide a pair of ergonomic keypads in which various groups of keys are positioned at different heights to provide tactile feedback to the user as an aid in locating, by touch, the home position for each hand, as well as the particular keys to be actuated. Positioning the keys at different heights provides a differentiating feature for those keys intended to be actuated by the user's thumbs and prevents actuation of more than one key at a time. A further object of the present invention is to provide a pair of ergonomic keypads on which the keys are arranged in a unique and more logical manner than on prior art keyboards, thereby accommodating forward and backward finger and hand movement to select various keys with lateral movement being accommodated through expanded thumb usage. A further object of the present invention is to provide a pair of ergonomic keypads that may mounted in the armrests of a chair so that the user may operate the keypads while comfortably seated with one's forearms supported by an armrest pad.
These and other objects are accomplished in accordance with the illustrated preferred embodiment of the present invention by employing separate left and right keypads that may be independently positioned on a desktop. The separate keypads may be mounted in the armrests of a chair or hingedly joined to function as a compact unitary keyboard for desktop use and for improved portability. The user may adjust the keypads to any desired position. Individual keys are arranged to provide an ergonomically sound home position for each hand from which a maximum number of keys and control devices may be reached without moving the hands from their home positions. The joined keypads may be adjusted to a closed position to form a compact, diamond-shaped unitary keyboard providing improved portability.